Why spending time outdoors beats social media time

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It’s more than possible to spend hours and hours of your time scrolling through social media looking at pictures, the latest celebrity gossip,and what your old high school classmate has been up to. Don’t even get me started on Pinterest! I have way too many recipes, outfits, crafts, and home projects to complete by the end of this year it’s not even funny. You have to admit, though mundane, the endless scrolling we do with our eyes and fingers on our touch screens is almost a satisfying habit. Many of you may know that I run my business selling health and wellness products using social media so it has been a struggle for me to use social media within a healthy time limit. I’ll be the first to admit that seeing how many “likes” you get is almost addicting.

It’s easy to put social media on a platform though. After all, it has made me and many others successful in network marketing. It reaches out to help those in need with prayer requests and encouraging words. Not to mention it’s a great way to pass the time when you’re waiting at the doctor’s office. When we begin to look for answers and start to desire that sense of relief from our everyday stresses from social media, that’s when it becomes unhealthy. I am nowhere near perfect in this area of my life. I struggle just like you to not pull out my phone everywhere I am. It is something I am working on to better myself and really start living in the moment. Because you can’t really live in the moment with your face in your phone, right? I want to share with you some of the insights I have discovered on being out in nature vs staying in and being on your phone.

Southwest Florida sunset. Photo captured by Lynlee May

1.FOREST BATHING IS A REAL THING. Also known as a walk in the woods, forest bathing has some amazing benefits. An article from Mother Nature Network states,

“studies have confirmed that spending time within a forest setting can reduce psychological stress, depressive symptoms, and hostility, while at the same time improving sleep and increasing both vigor and a feeling of liveliness”.

2. THE SCENT OF NATURE REDUCES PAIN AND ANXIETY. If you aren’t the “trail walking” type, all you need to do is step outside and smell the fresh air. A study provided by the US National Institute of Health proves that,

” Chemicals secreted by trees, known as phytoncides, have been linked with improved immune defense as well as a reduction in anxiety and increase in pain threshold.”

3. EVEN DOCTORS PRESCRIBE NATURE NOW. Pharmaceutical companies are taking people’s money and lives. Some doctors are starting to see a new approach though, such as Dr. Robert Zarr MD. Dr. Zarr states from his website Children and Nature Network “With our nation’s current epidemic of obesity, asthma, ADHD, and now Nature Deficit Disorder, it’s time that we doctors prescribe time outside, in Nature, for all our patients.”

4. GET OFF YOUR TREADMILL AND ONTO A TRAIL. It’s time to stop gawking at the t.v. while exercising and start actually being fascinated by God’s creation. We spend all too much time anyway around technology. Give your brain a break and get outside.

I hope I have encouraged you to start spending more time outside, even if that means just a walk around your neighborhood. It’s time to get back to our roots and realize what makes living life so much fun. We all know we can’t live our life looking at pictures of other people living theirs. Nature has some pretty awesome stuff to offer. I know an amazing sunset can make my day from bad to good and hearing birds singing songs with joy, even though they have to fly everywhere they go and hunt for their own food, makes me realize how easy I have it down here. So next time you feel stressed, don’t get on social media. Take that stress and turn it into a walk in the woods. See you out on the trails!

There’s nothing a campfire out in the wilderness won’t fix. Photo taken by Lynlee May in Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area.

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Published by Lynlee May

Hey ya'll! I hope my readings encourage you and challenge you to be a happier, healthier person starting from the inside. I grew up in a small town in Indiana and now live in sunny Florida. I am a nature enthusiast who loves hiking, photographing nature, swimming in the salty waters of the Gulf, and cooking.
View all posts by Lynlee May

Hey ya'll! I hope my readings encourage you and challenge you to be a happier, healthier person starting from the inside. I grew up in a small town in Indiana and now live in sunny Florida. I am a nature enthusiast who loves hiking, photographing nature, swimming in the salty waters of the Gulf, and cooking.